Moray Golf Club

Moray New is a par 70 of about 6,008 yards or 5,494 metres, designed by Sir Henry Cotton and opened in 1979. Shorter and tighter than the Old Course, it crosses former gorse and dune ground between RAF Lossiemouth, Covesea Lighthouse and the Moray Firth, with compact greens and a strong demand for accuracy.

Moray’s second-course story began with a nine-hole ladies’ and relief course created in 1905. Growing demand led the club to plan a full second eighteen. Sir Henry Cotton visited Lossiemouth in July 1970, surveyed dense whin-covered ground and designed an extension incorporating the old nine. The New Course opened in 1979 and established Moray’s present thirty-six-hole identity. The routing lies west and south of the historic course within tighter gorse and dune corridors. Covesea Lighthouse provides an aiming point, while RAF aircraft frequently pass overhead. The sea is not always visible, but Firth wind and firm soil create links behaviour. Whin gives the course a more enclosed feel than the Old.

Cotton created a precision design with less strategic width than Old Tom’s course. Fairways are narrower, greens smaller and entrances protected by ditches, slopes or gorse. The tenth, Bents, is a 325-yard short par four from an elevated tee near the beach, requiring a drive across a ditch and an approach to a raised green aligned by the lighthouse. The official figure is 6,008 yards at par 70, with slight modern marker variations. Several par threes are short, but their small targets make scoring fragile. Strong par fours on both nines compensate for modest total length. Firm turf and well-defended greens reward control, while a serious miss into gorse is often unrecoverable.

The New shares Moray’s clubhouse, professional shop, performance centre, caddies, hire and combination offers with the Old. Price and pace are usually more accessible, supporting a thirty-six-hole day. Despite its name, it has more than four decades of history and a distinct members’ culture.

Play it for one of the relatively few British courses by Sir Henry Cotton and to compare two architectural generations on the same linksland. The New is not a warm-up: narrow corridors, compact greens and wind demand constant discipline. It is the ideal partner to the Old and a strong lesson in strategy without excessive length. 18 holes; par 70; about 6,008 yards or 5,494 metres; designed by Sir Henry Cotton; ground surveyed in 1970; opened 1979; former ladies’ course incorporated; signature tenth Bents; course record 62 set in 1996 and matched in 2005.

Moray Open, national amateur championships, club championships and open events — Opened in 1979; course record 62 set in 1996 and matched in 2005 Sir Henry Cotton surveyed the ground in 1970; present course opened in 1979; 10th Bents is the signature hole